[Sherman A.]

I will by no means claim the authority to speak for Afrikan Americans collectively, but this theory is without doubt a plausible one: In general, a person of Afrikan descent in America has little or nothing to justify the pasting of a permanent smile on his or her face. This issue dates back to our kidnapping from our true home and being brought here to suffer some of the most heinous atrocities ever committed against humankind. Think of it like this: imagine a stranger breaking into your otherwise peaceful home and then raping, robbing, maiming, torturing and otherwise dehumanizing you in every imaginable way (and some unimaginable ways), slaughtering your brothers and sisters before your eyes and then forcing you into complete bondage and servitude to him. Understandably, a single episode of this magnitude would induce severe levels of trauma in an individual, so just imagine the application of this to an entire people repeatedly for more than 400 years. As far as 'making ourselves less likable by not smiling,' I must ask just who is it who does not like us? Perhaps it is time we stopped smiling for the sake of granting comfort to oppressive forces and let how we truly feel show. Why should we worry about 'being likable' to those who smile at us as they subject us to less-than-favorable conditions, and then smile even more after the deed is done? I could not care less if a white man ever saw my teeth again.

You have no idea what my people have been through and continue to go through. There are those who would say, 'Remember the Holocaust,' but ours continues even today at the hands of those who make, break and 'enforce' laws - they are all one and the same.

User Detail :  

Name : Sherman A., Gender : M, Race : Afrikan-American, Religion : Muslim, Age : 30, City : Calumet City, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Communications, Education level : Over 4 Years of College,